1-star summons were expected to sacrifice their lives to protect higher-ranking summons even while still in their summoning vehicles.
In other words, they were so common and expendable that their deaths were considered inevitable.
In fact, over 90% of all summons were 1-star level. Which meant that more than 90% of humanity’s combat power had become useless.
“How about 2-star summons?”
“We confirmed they didn’t die instantly,” the lieutenant reported. “But they’re not fit for battle.”
Upon hearing this, Duke Therra let out a heavy sigh. If even 2-star summons were incapable of fighting, then what chance did the 1-stars have?
Of course, there were some 1- and 2-star summons capable of ranged attacks, but their power wasn’t enough to break through the undead piled like a mountain in front of the demon—much less land a direct hit.
‘That’s a serious problem.’
There was a reason ranged attacks hadn’t been used from the start. A long time ago, when long-range summons dominated the battlefield, demons adapted.
They used magic to nullify projectiles or deployed enemies that could absorb ranged attacks entirely.
Arrows and attacks missed, and even the few spells or energy blasts that landed were absorbed as if swallowed whole. So the strategy shifted—to close-range combat.
Get close. Hit once. That was the only option.
‘And now… they’re sending demons like that again.’
There was only one way to stop that demon: 3-star or higher-ranked summons needed to hold the demon in place while elite, long-range summons unleashed a coordinated barrage of attacks.
They should have done that from the beginning.
‘Too late.’
By now, Lasti had raised enough subordinates to form a living wall—an army of undead that defied death itself.
Looking at the overwhelmed 3-star and 4-star summon troops, Duke Therra realized hope for humanity was already slipping away.
And still, Lasti’s forces continued to grow.
The Duke looked at the summoned beings and sighed.
“Can we stop it?”
[Whether it works or not, we have to try something.]
“Right. Whether it works or not…”
They had to stop Lasti here and now—before that disease-like existence blanketed the entire continent in death.
Duke Therra was determined to halt the advance by any means necessary—at least until reinforcements arrived.
And they did.
Support came only a day after Lasti appeared—by then, 30% of the Eastern Front’s forces were already gone.
***
When Ian and his group—previously reported missing from the Academy—finally returned, the cadets greeted them with enthusiasm.
“Miss Stella! You’re alive!”
“Syrah!”
More precisely, only two people welcomed Stella and Syrah—both noble daughters of a duke and a marquis, respectively. They had longstanding connections with the other cadets.
Ian, who had been rumored to be romantically linked with such noble figures, and Noah, a commoner who had earned a count’s title, were mostly ignored.
Many cadets didn’t even know that Dinua had been missing.
‘It’s peaceful.’
Ian observed the cadets ignoring him, chatting happily with Syrah, and discussing what to eat for lunch. They laughed as if the world outside wasn’t teetering on the brink of destruction.
It was a sign that the Academy’s information control was effective—but still, watching their innocent laughter felt… hollow.
‘Yeah, it feels just like that…’
That same feeling he’d had in the military—watching carefree students walking around, laughing—unaware of the sacrifices being made on their behalf.
There was pride in protecting their peace, yes.
But also frustration… because they didn’t understand the cost of that peace.
Just as he found himself wanting to silence that careless laughter, the back door swung open.
“You were here.”
Countess Korn entered the classroom, scanning the room until her eyes landed on Ian. Without caring about the others, she approached and spoke directly to him.
“The principal is looking for you.”
“Huh—what for?”
“Follow me. Now.”
“Hmm… Syrah, let’s go.”
“Yes! We’ll talk later, everyone!”
Ian gave a nod and called Syrah to follow him, then walked after Korn. But instead of heading to the principal’s office, Korn led them outside the Academy grounds.
“The principal really called me?” Ian asked.
“Stop asking questions you already know the answer to.”
“No fun.”
When Countess Korn shot him a sharp glance, Ian raised his hands in mock surrender.
Countess Korn sighed and gestured toward Syrah.
“It’s absurd to bring a cadet along right now.”
“I need her. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I need Stella, Noah… and her too.”
“…Those two will be crushed.”
After taking some time off, Ian returned to the front of Countess Korn with Stella and Noah. The two, who had tilted their heads in confusion at Ian calling them over, turned to see Countess Korn and quickly grasped the situation. They fell silent.
“Giant Eagle.”
Countess Korn summoned the Giant Eagle and looked at Ian with urgency.
Stella, who climbed onto the Giant Eagle, belatedly tugged at Ian’s sleeve.
“W-What’s going on?”
“Well—don’t you need to tell us something?”
“…Countess Korn, what is happening?”
“I called you because Marquis Ian’s help is needed.”
At that moment, the Giant Eagle soared through the air at a speed of 1,200 kilometers per hour.
Stella, momentarily weightless, trembled as a strange sensation tickled her throat.
“Ah—!”
Subjected to several times the gravitational acceleration of the ground, the party was protected from the pressure by the Giant Eagle’s power. As they flew, the landscape below blurred past at high speed—they were unmistakably headed toward the battlefield.
There were already dozens of high-ranking summoners present on the battlefield, but Stella, puzzled, glanced at Ian.
“…Why did you call me?”
“You’ll understand when we get there.”
“Ugh, what kind of answer is that?”
Ian remained tight-lipped, keeping the information to himself.
He could be frustrating at times like this, but—Stella had learned through experience that Ian was usually right.
Of course, that was only in hindsight.
As they neared their destination, Ian and his party saw the scorched black earth below.
It was so dark that it couldn’t be mistaken for anything but demon territory—an ominous, writhing land of corruption.
“…What is that?”
“That’s the demon that appeared this time,” Countess Korn replied.
The area twitched and pulsed with a life of its own.
Stella let out a faint, frightened gasp.
Watching the squirming darkness below, Ian understood why Countess Korn had sought him out.
‘You called me because things are already f*cked.’
With that thought, he looked at Countess Korn, who continued.
“The army of Lasti, the Death King.”
One of the two final monsters.
An army of the dead.
They were immortal soldiers who would not fall, even when killed.
***
“Magical Cannon!”
A summon, adorned in bright, flamboyant clothes, shouted and swung her staff. A powerful magic blast shot from the star-shaped ornament at the tip.
But it was useless. The magic cannon was absorbed by the undead soldiers, who blocked it with their bodies without hesitation. The army marched forward, unfazed by the sacrifices of their own ranks.
After the front line advanced, the shattered soldiers reassembled at the rear and stood up again.
“Summoner—I think this is a huge problem…?”
“What can we even do?!”
“Screaming isn’t going to solve anything.”
This summon was based on a popular Magical Girl anime.
In her backstory, she had been caught in a dimensional rift, transported to another world, and bound to the summoning system. Now, she stood trembling, staring at the unstoppable undead army.
An immortal army that never died. Disabling them was the only solution, but that alone was nearly impossible.
Her attacks, while long-lasting, lacked the destructive power to annihilate the entire army. Even with a few mages of her caliber, complete eradication would be out of reach.
And even if they somehow broke through that endless horde to reach the army’s master, a far greater problem awaited.
‘How are we supposed to defeat ‘that’?’
The magical girl’s eyes locked onto the leader of the undead—Lasti. That terrifyingly powerful demon was now confronting the third detachment that had managed to pierce the undead lines.
An incredible clash of abilities unfolded, shocking even the magical girl.
But in the end, the detachment fell.
Any summon below 2-star couldn’t even stand before Lasti. All of them were 3-star summons.
When the number of high-ranking summons lost exceeded ten, the emperor finally issued a new order—Artia was to be dispatched.
“It’s too dangerous.”
“Then what? Are we supposed to just watch the demons trample our lands?”
“That’s not what I meant…”
The vassals tried to object, but the emperor’s decision was unwavering.
For the first time in centuries, Artia—a 5-star summon—was sent to the battlefield.
The 4-star summons under the Dukes cleared a path through the horde, and the Yellow Dragon reached the front lines, where the Death King awaited.
In a battle the likes of which hadn’t been seen in hundreds of years, Artia skillfully fought and managed to inflict serious damage on Lasti, successfully pushing back the front.
However, Artia, too, sustained severe injuries.
“You must pursue him!”
“Who? And how?”
Now that Artia—the only summon who had managed to wound Lasti—was injured, there was no one else left who could give chase.
And then, Ian arrived.